Thomas humber



(No Model.)

T. HUMBER.

VELOGIPBDB.

No. 352,090. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

Nv PETERS, Fhnm-Lilhagmpher, Wnshngioll, D C.

UNITED STATES.,

PATENT OFFICE.

THoM-As'HUMBER, or BEEsToN, COUNTY or NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,090, dated November2, 1886. l

Application filed February 26, 1886. Serial No. 193,331. (No model.) i

To a/ZZ whom, it may concerm,

Be it known that I, T-HoMAsHUMBEa, a subject ofthe Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Beeston,i`n the county of Nottingham, England,cycle-manufacturer and machinist, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements 'in Tricyles and 'like Vehicles, of which 'the i followingis a specification.

My invention relates, first, lo improvements in tricycles, Ste., of theclass provided with a spring in connection withA the steeringwheel'insuch manner asto prevent the jarringl ofthe wheel on the road beingcommunicated to the steering-handle by which the postionof the Vwheel iscontrolled, `and also provided with automatic steering-gear in which aspring is applied, tending constantly to place ,j the steering-whcel inthe position for straight the. frame an inclined tube is carried.

running.

The arrangement as adapted to an automatic front-steerer is as follows:At the fore part of It receives within it another tube, to Which, at its`upper end, the steering cross head or handle is secured. On the innertube there is also a cam or inclined block, which, as heretofore inautomatic steering-gear, works in conjunction with a corresponding fixedcamor inclined block which i's secured atthe upper-end ofthe outer tube.rIhe inner tube projects at its lower end from the outer tube, and a'spring isinterposed between the two. It abuts against fianges on each.This spring is the automatic steering-spring. It draws down the innertube,

holds the two camsor inclined blockspin contact, and when permitted todo so places the steering-handle for direct progress. rIhe stein of thefork carrying the steering-wheel enters the inner tube, and it abuts atits upper end upon a coiled spring contained within the tube. The loadis vtransmitted to the steeringwheel through this spring, and the springplays as the wheel 4.passes over inequalities in the road. Thesteering-handle when turned carries the wheel round with it by means ofa key which passes through the stem of the Wheelfork, and projects so.that its ends enter slotted holes in the inner tube, to which thehandle is attached.

My improvements also relate to the seat. To

carry the seat I employ the following spring v zontally over the' top ofthe base-plate andV i parallel to it. At the end distant from the jointthe spring-blade is connected with the base-plate by a bolt, whichallows play within limits. There is a helical spring surrounding theboltand between the base-plate and the spring-blade. It supports thespring-blade, and on this latter the seat is secured by clips.

The position of the seat on the blade admits of adjustment, as does alsothe position in which the base-plate is clipped onto the frame of thetricycle or vehicle.

In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readilycarried into effect, I will proceed to describe the drawings hereuntoannexed preparatory to a specific designation of thesubjectunatterclaimed.

In thedrawings, Figure lis aV front elevation ofthe parts in connectionwith the steering-wheel of an automatic front-steering tricycle. Fig. 2is a sectional side elevation of the same.` Fig. 3 shows a modifiedform. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a spring saddle-supportconstructed in accordance with my invention.

In Figs. l and 2, a is the fore part of the frame ofthe tricycle. bis aninclined tube fixed to the frame. lexis another tube within the tube b.d is the steering cross-head or handle. Its stem d enters within thetube c at its upper end and is securely Xed by vrivets or otherwise. c:2is a cam or inclined block fixed on the tube c. b2 is a similar cam orinclined block fixed on the tube b'. e is a coiled spring surroundingthe lower end of the tube c iinmediately above the fork in which thesteering-wheel is held. The spring e abuts against a flange, c3, on thetube 0,' and also against i' another flange, b3, on the tube b. As thespring e is in compression it brings together the inclined faces of the,blocks b2 and c2, and when permitted to do so holds them in theposition shown in Fig. 2, and with the steering! Wheel parallel to themain wheels.

- When force is applied to the cross-head to IOO steer the vehicle tothe right or left, the spring e is further compressed as the incline onthe block c2 ascends theincline on the block b2. As soon as thecross-head is released the spring e causes the return of these parts tothe position in which they are represented in the drawings. f is thesteering-wheel, and gis the fork in which it is held. g', the' stein ofthis fork,enY ters within the tube c and bears at its upper end againstthe coiled spring l'z,oontained within o. The other end ot' the springZL abuts on a disk or stop at the closed upper end of. the tube e. Thestem g has a slotted hole in it at gx, and a key, et, fixed into thetube o, passes through it. The stein g is consequently able to play upand down in the tube e, the spring h yielding as the wheel passes anobstacle, and the jar which otherwise would be transmitted to thesteering-handle and the hands of the rider is avoided. The slot gx andkey e* insure the movement of the steering crosshead being transmittedto the steering-wheel. The cams or inclined blocks b2 and o2 and thespring e insure, when the steering-handle is released,that thesteeringwheel isset for direct forward movement. Other means may be resorted to for preventing the stem g turning within the tube c, in placeof using the key o* and the slot gx. Thus, as is shown in Fig. ."5, thestem g may be square, and maybe passed through a squarehole in ablook,G, fixed with in the tube e. In this case, in addition to the spring h,operating as already described, I prefer to employ a second and opposingspring, H, so that the stem may never come to adead stop.

1n Fig. 1i, k is a base-plate or bar clamped onto the frame of thevehicle. Zis a springblade jointed tok at la. At Z the blade Z is coiledaround the joint k' in two open coils. Z`l is the horizontal limb of theblade Z, and upon this the saddle is clamped in the usual way. m is acoiled spring supporting the fore end of the blade Z, and n is aboltpassing through the parts k and Z, and through the interior of thecoiled spring. The bolt n restrains the upward tendency of both theblade Z and the spring m when the weight is off the saddle. Thisarrangement of springs gives great elasticity, and prevents, to a greatextent, the riderbeing 5o jarred by the irregularities of the road.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, l declarethat what I claim is 1. The combination of the frame, the outer tubefixed thereto, the cam on the upper end of this tube, the tube rotatingand sliding within the outer tube, the cam fixed on the upper end of theinner tube, thesteering-handle, 6o its stem projecting into and xed totheinner tube, the compressed coiled spring thrusting upward against thelower end of the outer tube and downward against the lower end of theinner tube, the steering-wheel, its fork hav 65 ing the stem projectinginto the inner tube and turning therewith and sliding therein, and thecoiled spring Within the inner tube and thrusting upward against it anddownward upon the stem of the steering-wheel fork, all 7o substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. A saddlesupport for a tricyele or like vehicle, consisting of thecombination of the base'plate, the blade-spring coiled at one'end andjointed to one end of the base-plate, the bolt passing through theotherends of the baseplate and spring, and the coiled spring between thebase-plate and blade-spring, sub stantially as set forth. f

THOMAS HUMBER.

Vitnesses:

FRANK P. RICHARDS, Clerk to Mr. W. A. Richards, SoZcior, Notting- MARKSHAW, Clerk to Mr. R. II. Speed, Notary Public, Nottingham.

